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Tag: HolyMass

Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great and Holy Thursday, Sheer Thursday and Thursday of Mysteries) is the Christian feast, or holy day, falling on the Thursday before Easter. It commemorates the Maundy and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles as described in the Canonical gospels, it is the fifth day of Holy Week, and is preceded by Holy Wednesday and followed by Good Friday.

Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:31-35)

On this day around the world Christians remember that tense, sensitive time Jesus spent with his disciples in the upper room and the last supper he shared with them. Many refer to this day as “Maundy Thursday.”

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for commandment (mandatum), which Jesus talked about when he told his disciples that he was leaving them “a new commandment,” that they “love one another.” There were probably so many things going on in the disciples’ minds in that upper room where they had their last supper together, including fear and bewilderment from Jesus telling them that someone in that very room would betray him.

Jesus handed the betrayer a piece of bread, just as he had been feeding all his disciples all along. Always giving, always gracing. Jesus fed thousands of people with fish and loaves, and every word that came out of his mouth was spiritual food for those who listened and understood. But on this night he fed them differently. Passing the bread, and then the wine, he spoke ominous, comforting words: “this is my body… this is my blood.” This was not an ordinary supper, not even an ordinary Passover. His words connected with what he had said on the shores of far-away Galilee “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…. whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:35, 54).

Jesus told them to repeat this unique meal in the future, and then it was time to go out into the chilly night. In a quiet garden among olive trees, quiet but for the deep night sounds of dogs barking in the distance, Jesus prayed. In agony he prayed. The specter of shameful execution and of bearing the curse of sin tore into the human consciousness of Jesus. And in the end it was sheer obedience to the divine plan that carried Jesus into the hands of the conspirators waiting for him.

It was a springtime Sunday in about the year 30 A.D. The holy city of Jerusalem was crowded with pilgrims who had come for the annual Passover celebration.

Jesus had spent many months traveling through the towns and villages of Palestine. He preached about the kingdom of God and healed the sick wherever He went. Now the time had come for Him to claim His title as the Messiah – the Savior that God had promised to the Jewish people.

Jesus knew His mission was almost finished. As they traveled to Jerusalem, Jesus warned His disciples that He would soon be put to death, and after three days He would rise again.

As they came near Jerusalem, Jesus told two of His disciples to go into a nearby village and bring a donkey that would be waiting there. Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey. Crowds of people spread their coats on the ground in front of Him. Some waved branches of palm trees, a sign of victory. The people shouted,

Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord –
the King of Israel!

Only a king would be greeted this way (2 Kings 9:13), and the people wanted Jesus to be their king.

Most of the people did not understand what kind of king Jesus would be. They expected their Messiah to be a great political and military leader who would free them from the tyranny of the Roman Empire. But the kingdom of God is not of this world. It is a spiritual kingdom that is now growing in the hearts of people who put their faith and trust in God.

Palm Sunday is one of the most important days in the Christian calendar after Christmas and Easter. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter, and marks the beginning of Holy Week, the week of events leading up to Jesus’ death.

THE HISTORY OF PALM SUNDAY

The celebration of Palm Sunday originated in the Jerusalem Church, around the late fourth century. The early Palm Sunday ceremony consisted of prayers, hymns, and sermons recited by the clergy while the people walked to various holy sites throughout the city. At the final site, the place where Christ ascended into heaven, the clergy would read from the gospels concerning the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In the early evening they would return to the city reciting: “Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord.” The children would carry palm and olive branches as the people returned through the city back to the church, where they would hold evening services.

By the fifth century, the Palm Sunday celebration had spread as far as Constantinople. Changes made in the sixth and seventh centuries resulted in two new Palm Sunday traditions – the ritual blessing of the palms, and a morning procession instead of an evening one. Adopted by the Western Church in the eighth century, the celebration received the name “Dominica in Palmis,” or “Palm Sunday”.

THE MEANING OF PALM SUNDAY

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. The gospels record the arrival of Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, while the crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the street and shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” to honor him as their long-awaited Messiah and King.

The significance of Jesus riding a donkey and having his way paved with palm branches is a fulfillment of a prophecy spoken by the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9). In biblical times, the regional custom called for kings and nobles arriving in procession to ride on the back of a donkey. The donkey was a symbol of peace; those who rode upon them proclaimed peaceful intentions. The laying of palm branches indicated that the king or dignitary was arriving in victory or triumph.

PALM SUNDAY IN MODERN TIMES

Today, Palm Sunday traditions are much the same as they have been since the tenth century. The ceremony begins with the blessing of the palms. The procession follows, then Mass is celebrated, wherein the Passion and the Benediction are sung. Afterwards, many people take the palms home and place them in houses, barns, and fields.

In some countries, palms are placed on the graves of the departed. In colder northern climates, where palm trees are not found, branches of yew, willow, and sallow trees are used. The palms blessed in the ceremony are burned at the end of the day. The ashes are then preserved for next year’s Ash Wednesday celebration.

In the simplest of terms, Palm Sunday is an occasion for reflecting on the final week of Jesus’ life. It is a time for Christians to prepare their hearts for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection

Pope Francis emphasized the need for a “sense of the sacred” at Mass, as he celebrated the Eucharistic sacrifice at the Domus Sanctae Marthae on February 10.

The Mass, the Pope said, is a “theophany,” a direct encounter with God. This encounter, he said, is “different from the Word: it is another presence: closer, without mediation, near.”

The Mass, the Pope stressed, is not a “representation” of the Last Supper. He explained: “Nativity scenes, the Way of the Cross: these are representations.” At the Mass, something quite different occurs, he said: “It is a theophany: God approaches and is with us, and we participate in the mystery of redemption.” The Pope added that it is wrong to say that one “hears” Mass; the Mass, he said, is “participated in, and it is a participation in this theophany.”

To participate fully in the Mass, the Pope added, one must “have this availability to enter into the mystery of God.” He cautioned that someone at Mass should not be checking his watch, and someone attending the morning Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae should not treat the ceremony as a “tourist stop” where he can see the Pope.

Participating properly in the Mass requires a sense of the sacred, and an awareness of God’s presence, the Pope said. “It is God’s time, it is God’s space.”

— taken from http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2014/02/10/pope_francis:_rediscover_a_sense_of_the_sacred/en1-771852 —

“My good friends, by hearing Mass I not only secure myself innumerable blessings, but I confer the most important benefits on my kingdom, many more than I could possibly do in any other way.” ~ St. Louis (king of France)

“There is no prayer or good work so great, so pleasing to God, so useful to us as the Mass.” ~ St. Lawrence Justinian

“Even God Himself could do nothing holier, better, or greater than the Mass.” ~ St. Alphonsus

“The Mass is nothing less than the Sacrifice of Calvary renewed on the altar, and that every Mass brings to men the same benefits as the Sacrifice of the Cross.” ~ St. Thomas

“The Mass has just the same value as Calvary.” ~ St. John Chrysostom

“The Mass is a compendium of all God’s love, of all His benefits to men, and each Mass bestows on the world a benefit not less than what was conferred on it by the Incarnation.” ~ St. Bonaventure

“I once saw a globe of extraordinary beauty and brilliancy circle round the chalice at the Consercration and then enter the sacred vessel. God revealed to me that this happened at every Mass, though not visible to our human eyes.” ~ St. Hanon

“The happiness of the world comes from the Sacrifice of the Mass.” ~ St. Odo of Cluny

“No human tongue can describe the immense favors and blessings which we receive from the Mass. The sinner obtains pardon, the good man becomes more holy, our faults are corrected and our vices uprooted by hearing Holy Mass.” ~ St. Lawrence Justinian

“Just as all creation, the heaven and the earth, the sun, the moon and the stars, the mountains and oceans, all men and angels are nothing in comparison with God, so no good works, however holy, are equal to one Mass.” ~ St. Alphonsus

“In every Mass, the Heavens open and multitudes of Angels come to assist at the Holy Sacrifice.” ~ St. Gregory

“The Angels surround and help the priest when he is celebrating the Mass.” ~ St. Augustine

“When Mass is being celebrated, the Sanctuary is filled with countless Angels, who adore the Divine Victim immolated on the altar.” ~ St. John Chrysostom

“One day when I was assisting at the Holy Sacrifice, I saw an immense number of Holy Angels descend and gather around the altar, contemplating the priest. They sang heavenly canticles that ravished my heart; Heaven itself seemed to be contemplating the great Sacrifice.” ~ St. Bridget

The Mass is the birth of Jesus Christ. He is really born on the Altar each time that Mass is said, as He was born in Bethlehem.

The Mass is the same as the sacrifice of Calvary. In it God dies as He died on the first Good Friday.

The Mass has the same infinite value of Calvary, and brings down on men the same priceless grace.

In every Mass the Blood of Jesus is shed for us again.

Nothing on this Earth, nothing in Heaven itself, gives more glory to God and obtains more benefits for us than a single Mass.

By the Mass we offer to God the greatest praise, the most perfect thanks for all the benefits He has bestowed on us. We make more reparation for our faults than by the severest penances.

The Mass obtains for us the very greatest graces, blessings and favors, spiritual and temporal — graces that we could not possibly receive in any other way.

The Mass saves us from countless dangers and delivers us from the evils that threaten us.

Nothing that obtains for us so many blessings as the Mass.

By hearing Mass, the day would become worth a thousand days, so wonderful would be the graces and benefits we shall receive.

By one Mass which we hear in the state of grace, we give God more pleasure and obtain for ourselves more benefits and favors.

The efficacy of the Mass is so wonderful, God’s mercy and generosity are then so unlimited, that there is no moment so propitious to ask for favors as when Jesus is born on the altar. What we then ask we shall almost certainly receive, and what we do not obtain in the Mass we may scarcely hope to receive by all other prayers, penances or pilgrimages.

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